I connected with the Spanish culture by trying to speak Spanish as typically as possible. After 7 weeks, I left so much more confident in my Spanish-speaking abilities. I love trying new Spanish food, especially tapas. Tapas are free food that come with your beverage, but they are only free in Granada! When possible, I liked to watch the news with my host mom and talk to her about issues that are happening in Spain and hear her perspective on these issues. Everyone who studied in Granada lived in neighborhoods, so this helped us see parts of the city that we normally would not have visited if we were just a tourist.
A place that was part of my daily routine was the river Genil. Near my host moms house, the river is wide and runs very fast. At night, I loved to sit next to the river and listen to the rushing water. The water reminded me a lot of Wisconsin because there was always more green vegetation near the river. During the daytime, you could see the Sierra Nevada mountains sitting in the distance. One day, my friends and I walked an hour up the river to a secluded spot and laid there for hours. I will miss the river here!
My other favorite place was el mirador de San Nicholas. The overlook had an amazing view of the Alhambra. People were there at every hour of the night usually playing some flamenco music. Towards the end of our program, we all went there to watch the sunrise before getting churros and chocolate at Café Futbol.
Caitlin Fox
Hometown: Viroqua, Wisconsin
Major: Spanish and Health Promotion and Health Equity
Program: Illinois in Spain: Spanish Studies in Granada